I walked on Wednesday night at 7:42pm into a packed Vector Arena and the first thing I notice is that the crowd was exceptionally diverse. I suspect that there were at least 36 people there who made their yearly trip past the letterbox just for this occasion. My mum was there... all 3990 of them and before the show even began. There was more air fisting and foot stomping than during any smoke free Rockquest ever attended. I also partook in my first Mexican wave with tourette's, which really set the tone for the event. I was a bit disappointed when the lights went down and the music started as I was enjoying the spectacle of the ramshackle enthusiastic bunch before me so thoroughly!

Then the sheers veiling the stage swooped upward like a freaky nimble ghost and revealed an epic stage set up- huge neon loops and whirls and more red flashing lights than Michael J Fox playing 'Operation'; complete with ancient rockers and a leather studded Lambert.

The energy was up and so were the people... 3rd song in and we're into Another One Bites The Dust. The videography was interesting with a GoPro mounted on the headstock of Brian May's guitar. This produced a fret board/ crotch shot in the first portion of Fat Bottomed Girls. May then ran around the catwalks extending from the stage capturing the audience at a perfect 90% angle which was then projected onto the massive 60ft+ backdrop... old people and technology are often a curious mix.

There was a beautiful heartfelt tribute to Freddy during an acoustic Love Of My Life that brought a tear to the eye of even Lodo the Serbian security guard.

Highlights for me were all the songs little me and my brothers would emulate on the recorder, ukulele and mums pots and pans; I Want It All, Bohemian Rhapsody and for an epic encore We Will Rock You. Queen and yes... even Adam Lambert did a pretty awesome job at rocking everyone present although I must admit there were a few times during the guitar solos that the 'I'm rockin out axe solo face' got me worried and looked more like angina.

The final flourish of 'We Are The Champions' had me on my feet and swaying about with my arms around perfect strangers and the walking stick which was thrust in the air throughout the concert from the front row was symbol and testimony to a good night had by all.

The Soundsplash Festival is returning to Raglan in January 2018. Local reggae favourites Katchafire are returning to feature on the bill. We sent a few questions over to lead vocalist Logan Bell ahead of the festival.

Following 2015’s Kitty, Daisy & Lewis'The Third', the sibling trio are back stronger than ever, harnessing their ability to create pop-infused soul, blues, rock n roll and a large mix of genres to perfection, in the shape of their fourth studio album, Superscope.

Kylie Price has just released her new album Bones. Last week she appeared on theNZ Entertainment Podcast, where she sang a new song I Dont Want To Go off the album while talking shop about her dream gig to play with Ed Sheeran and her Philipino roots.

Last week I caught up withPeter Hook ahead of returning down under for Australasian leg of the Joy Division and New Order Substance tour. We had a great chat about the spirit of punk, what it takes to write a book and why shows like the X-factor are so unhealthy…

Long established as one of New Zealand’s finest acts, South Pacific reggae-soul legends, The Black Seeds are set to tour the country in September, following the release of their long awaited 6th studio album Fabric, (out today - Friday September 8th).

Jacqueline Nalpant is a Booking Agent for the Paradigm Talent Agency, and is heading to New Zealand early next month where she'll be one of the speakers for the Going Global Music Summit (Friday 1st & Saturday 2nd September at Roundhead Studios, Auckland).

Since making her musical debut with her song Drift early last year, fast attracting a solid fan base and over 1 million plays across Spotify and Soundcloud in just a few months, Madeline North, better known by her musical moniker So Below, has once again blessed us with a moodier, masterful electro-pop banger, titled Ruin.

Since forming in 1998, the Antwerp, Belgium based trio Triggerfinger have long become a mainstay on the rock scene, building a solid reputation across Europe, the US, Canada and beyond, as one of the hardest-driving and sharpest dressing bands around.

Popular metalcore group Northlane are on their way to New Zealand. The Sydney band are touring North America taking in countries like Chile and Mexico as they head our way down-under next month to play Wellington’s San Fran then Auckland at the iconic Kings Arms.

Returning to New Zealand for the first time in three years, Australian metalcore band In Hearts Wake are on their way to our shores next month for a quick run of shows supporting their label cohorts Northlane.

Courtney Marie Andrews has landed in New Zealand, and set to play two concerts this week with Joe Pug - tonight at San Fran in Wellington (Wed July 19) and tomorrow night at The Tuning Fork in Auckland (Thu July 20).

Auckland two-piece Skinny Hobos, Alex Elvis and Texas Holdom, are heading on a 5 date New Zealand tour with headliners Decades, Bakers Eddy and Dead Favours. Kicking off tonight in Hamilton (July 14), the tour will also take them to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and finishes up in Dunedin.

Have you ever considered sharing your most personal experiences with the entire world? Well come this Friday 14th July, that’s what Emma Cameron, the rocking front-woman of kiwi band Decades is about to do, when they release their long-awaited full length debut album, The Truth And Other People, so we sat down with the cheerful front woman to discover just what truth this album reveals..

Whilst Sonny Landreth is a well known slide-guitar master, zydeco enthusiast and phenomenal blues legend, what you may not know about him, is that he is one of the nicest gentlemen in the entire universe.

He was always the boy next door type energy, that type of person you just always wanted to be around. From day one, Shay Taylor has always been one to break the mold and live life in such a vibrant and contagious manner, that no matter who he spoke to, they walked away feeling great!

One month on from the release of their third album [Wade Waist Deep], American rock band Thomas Wynn & The Believers are back on the road, breaking beyond the southern rock scene with complex, pulsing rhythms and breathtaking harmonies.

After their 2012 Mercury Prize-nominated debut and 2015’s Top 20 follow-up Born Under Saturn, musical adventurers Django Django are back for 2017, exploring new sounds with their brand new album Marble Skies

After stunning, sold-out concerts across the US, legendary Led Zep drummer Bonzo's greatest legacy - his son Jason - brings his critically acclaimed concert, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, to New Zealand for just two performances.

Playing their breakthrough debut self-titled album in its entirety, pop rock sensations We The Kings will return to New Zealand and Australia to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their breakthrough self-titled debut album.

Instrumentals, imagined soundtracks and cut and paste experimentation sets a bracing, perception-shattering course for Who Built The Moon? - the keenly anticipated, WORLD TOUR-triggering third album from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.